//------------------------------// // Summit // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Chapter 179 Summit We could try to get help from the krogan? 62% "We may be able to get Wrex involved," Fluttershy suggested to Shepard who for a second thought about it and nodded. "We may be able to get the krogan to support your ground forces, general," Shepard relayed to the turian. "But if I am going to set up a meeting with him I'm going to need you to come with me." General Victus' jaw clenched, "Of course... give me a moment to say goodbye to my men." He walked off to talk to a few of the turians that were under his command. Garrus and Fluttershy had moved over to a cliff that gave a decent vantage point over the barren moon, a reaper capital ship had landed in the distance and was busy tearing up some turian position. "Just look at it... And they want my advice on how to stop it? I'm a failed C-Sec officer, vigilante... and then I am their expert advisor?" "We're the only ones that have directly faced one of these before," Fluttershy sighed. "We're better than nothing." "I know, I know... I'm just not sure how in the world we're going to stop something like that." "By giving it our best shot," Fluttershy answered. "...A few well-calibrated and very big guns might help too." Garus barked a laugh and picked shy off the ground, getting a peck on one of his bony mandibles from her. "You always know how to make me smile," "I do my best," Fluttershy smiled back. "Love to break this up but we should get off this moon," Shepard interrupted. "Of course, we've got enough work on our plates," Garrus agreed, letting Fluttershy go so they could back to the Normandy. "And you're totally okay?" "Yes Twilight, I'm completely unharmed," Fluttershy reassured the unicorn for the thousandth time as they sat at the table in the cafeteria. "I am a medic you know." "I just worry..." Twilight mumbled, poking at her plate of dinner. "And I appreciate that Twilight," Fluttershy said as Garrus took a seat across from the two. "And how badly did they mess up the Thanix?" "You don't want to know..." he grumbled. "At least I'll have something to do in my spare time." "And there's nothing else you want to do in your spare time?" Fluttershy leaned forward, a smirk on her face while Twilight nearly choked on her lunch next to the pegasus. "I-I'll be at the port observation bay if you need me," Twilight stammered, taking her lunch along in her telekinesis. Garrus, though physically unable to blush, also got flustered. "W-Well... I think I might be able to make some time." Fluttershy giggled. "You're cute when you're like this." "You tease." "Guilty," Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. "There's something I wanted to ask you. Back on Menae when you came up on the general he saluted you, what was that about?" Garrus tightened up a bit, the atmosphere between the two changing. "It's... complicated." "Garrus..." Fluttershy said warningly, clearly not going to be satisfied with a deflection of half answer. "The premier reaper expert came with a healthy rise in the hierarchy's ranks, there are a ton of casualties among the higher echelons of command, and General Victus with whom I was working with closely has been promoted to Primarch..." Garrus laid out. "Do the math." Fluttershy straightened up too now, "That's... uncomfortably close to the top." "Exactly," he agreed. "They made me a Spectre you know." "Wait, what?!" Garrus exclaimed at the sudden bit of information but Fluttershy wasn't finished. "I also got a message for Princess Luna after she got word about the summit being called. She doesn't want to leave the Vindica and has authorised me to make treaties with her full authority," she added. "We might not be large but I'll at least be able to listen in and maybe influence the direction a bit." "Sheesh... no pressure." "Yes, though for me that luckily doesn't mean making decisions about where to spend pony lives yet," Fluttershy sighed, poking at her food, not feeling that hungry anymore. "It's all screwed up," Garrus reached forward and put a hand on Fluttershy's hoof. "But we'll get through it, we have to." "No rest for the wicked," she nodded, getting up from the table. "I need to get dressed, Luna was nice enough to leave a naval uniform for me to wear on board when we were docked." "Good luck with Wrex in there," Garrus said, a smile returning onto his face. "Let's hope he and the salarian dalatrass don't get into a fight," Fluttershy said with a little mirth, though the possibility this would get heated was fairly high. "See you after the meeting." Fluttershy tugged on the relatively tight dress, the rank of Equestrian captain sitting on her shoulders. Of course she'd put those on there... She and Shepard were the first in the meeting room, followed by the turian primarch, then the Salarian dalatrass and Wrex. The asari had been asked to attend too but due to bad blood between them and the krogan they had refused to come. "So tell me, what is this shindig about Shepard?" Wrex asked the moment he arrived, the salarian dalatrass huffing. "If you are not going to take this seriously then why have you come, krogan?" she sharply shot at him. Wrex growled and leaned forward to the salarian on the other side of the table. "This krogan has a name, Urdnot Wrex, you better remember it... and I have my own problems on Tuchanka. Reaper scouts have arrived." "Everyone calm down. We're here to discuss how we can help each other, not start more fights," Shepard intervened. "I know what's going on on Palaven, but why should I care if some turians go extinct?" Wrex stated. Fluttershy had feared this would be the case, Wrex might have become friends with Garrus but the animosity from being nigh sterilised by the turians and salarians ran deep in krogan. "There's no point in dragging this out Wrex, there is no time for it. Tell me what you want," Victus said straight to the point. "Not want, need," Wrex corrected him, looking straight at the salarian dalatrass. "A cure for the genophage." "Absolutely not!" the salarian immediately called out. It was pretty much exactly what was to be expected of the course of the meeting. "The genophage is non-negotiable. We uplifted your kind to do one thing: wage war, and after you beat the rachni your kind failed to keep their 'urges' in check." "You may not like Wrex, dalatrass, but we need him," Victus admonished her. "I will not apologise for saying the truth," the salarian huffed. "Enough!" Fluttershy cut in. "Making a cure for the genophage like that would take a long time." "Normally yes," Wrex agreed with Fluttershy. "But my sources say otherwise." He moved to the console built into the conference table and brought up a video that showed female krogan locked up by salarians. "A salarian grew a conscience and tried making a cure for the genophage, most of his subjects died but some of them survived... and they were fertile. And that pyjack over there came and snatched them right up!" "Where did you get this?!" the salarian exclaimed angrily, "It could be fabrication!" "Don't insult me, those are my people!" Wrex sneered. "They're immune and you are going to give them back!" "Is this true dallatrass?" Victus asked. "How will curing the krogan benefit my people!" she defended. "Because it'll stop them from going extinct," Fluttershy answered that question. "Because that's how you'll end up if you don't start playing nice with everyone. Alone and dead," Shepard added to Fluttershy's criticism. "And I will be the last friendly turian face you'll ever see," Victus finished. The dalatrass rubbed her face and shook her head. "The females are being held at an STG base on Sur'Kesh. But I warn you, commander, the consequences will be felt for centuries!" "Nothing worse than being destroyed by the reapers," Fluttershy snidely stated. "Let's go get those females!" Wrex exclaimed, the dalatrass though wasn't done obstructing yet. "You're not stepping foot on Sur'Kesh! This will need time to-" "This will be allowed this to happen. Now. Commander Shepard and miss Fluttershy are both council Spectre's, they can oversee this transfer," Victus demanded, the other agreeing with him. Shepard, Wrex, and Victus starting to walk out, to get the arrangements made. "You'll regret this, Commander. A bully has few friends when he needs them most!" Fluttershy looked back as she too was leaving. "Then where are yours?"